Respect
by Fabled Diamond
Summary: Rikki shows up at Zane's house in the middle of the night. Rikki/Zane. Oneshot.


**I was going through some old stuff and stumbled across this. It's not that good seeing as how I wrote it about a year ago, but I thought I'd upload it because I really like H2O. And I can't wait for the next season =).**

**Respect  
Oneshot.**

**. . . . . . . . .**

"Zane?" she whispered harshly, knocking on his balcony door with her fingertips, "Zane?"

He stirred in his sleep, disturbed slightly by the noise she was making against his window, but did not awaken. She growled and knocked louder, praying that she would't wake his father up in her haste to wake up his son.

Zane groaned, pulling himself into a sitting position and squinting at the doors that led to his balcony. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up. Rikki smiled at him and lowered her hand, waiting for him to unlock the door and let her in.

"Rikki..." Zane said with a yawn as she stumbled into his room, "What're you doing here?"

"I..had to get away," she whispered, trying not to release the tears she had been holding back until this point.

"You sound upset," he whispered as she turned to gaze into his brown eyes, her blue ones shimmering with tears. He reached out and cupped her face, she closed her eyes and let a lone tear drop fall. He wiped it away quickly.

"What happened, Rikki?" he asked as she moved closer to him, her hands sliding up against his bare chest and her cheek leaning against his shoulder. He waited for a long time for her to answer, but she didn't. He ran his fingers through her hair as a sob escaped her lips.

"Rik--" he started, but she interruped him.

"Can I stay here tonight?" she asked, staring down at the floor as her cheeks lit up in embarassment. Zane smiled softly.

"Yeah," he answered, "You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the flo--" she stopped his words with a kiss, tangling her fingers in his brown hair and backing up so that she could sit on the edge of his bed.

He grunted, bending to follow her down and placing his hands against the bed on either side of her thighs. She smiled against his lips, and began to lay back slowly, coaxing him to follow her until her back was against the matress and he was on top of her.

She slowly unfastened her hands from his neck and reached to grip his hands which were positioned near her shoulders and she gripped one of them tightly, leading it to the hem of her shirt before trailing it over her abdomen slowly. She shivered at his touch and he pulled away from her.

"Rikki," he said breathlessly, moving his hand from where it had once been against her stomach.

"Am I doing something wrong?" she whimpered, looking away from him.

"No," he said, resting his forehead against hers, "you're doing everything right..." She sighed and looked up at him. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to avoid her gaze.

"You don't want me," she whispered. He shivered at the pain he heard in her tone and opened his eyes wide to gaze into hers. They were shimmering with tears again and he could feel his heart breaking.

"I do," Zane argued, "I do want you..."

"But?" Rikki asked, shifting beneath him. Zane whimpered softly and willed himself not to be aroused by the beautiful woman who lay beneath him.

"Stop moving," he gasped, gripping the sheets on either side of her face. Rikki stopped and stared at him.

"Zane..." she whispered, "Why don't you want..." he growled and kissed her roughly before he answered.

"I...respect you, Rikki," Zane said, "I don't want to...hurt you." Rikki stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you saying you don't think we'll last?" She asked. The pain was there again and he looked away.

"That's not what I'm saying," he said, "I just...don't want you to regret this." Rikki stared at him and smiled softly, cupping his face in her hands and forcing him to gaze into her eyes.

"You're worried about my..." she giggled and kissed the tip of his nose, "who would've thought--"she giggled again--"Zane Bennett is old fashioned." A light blushed settled across Zane's cheeks as he tried to look away again, but she held his gaze.

"I just..." he started, but she put a finger to his lips.

"I love you," she said, staring into his eyes. He swallowed hard, seeing the truth in her eyes. He paused for a long moment, thinking of all the things she has made him feel and searching deep within himself for the way he felt. He wouldn't lie to her, her couldn't. She was everything to him; everything.

She traced her fingertips over his face.

"Rikki--" he started but she shook her head.

"Shh," she whispered, "take your time, there's no rush." Zane closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers once more. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes, and tried to hold them back, but it was too late.

"Zane," Rikki whimpered.

"I love you," he whispered as a strange calmness washed over him, "I love you." Rikki stared up at him with a smirk.

"I knew it," she said. Zane smirked back at her, rolling off of her and to her side as the two scrambled up to the top of the bed, laughing softly as to not wake his father.

"I'm glad you came," Zane whispered as she buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent deeply.

"Me too," came her muffled reply as the two drifted off to sleep.

**. . . . . . . . .**

**I am so LAME.**


End file.
